The U.S. Senate may vote this afternoon on an amendment that would stop the mandate President Barack Obama put in place to force religious groups to pay for insurance coverage that includes birth control and abortion-causing drugs.

Last week, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid blocked a pro-life Republican senator from putting forward an amendment to a Senate bill that would prevent the controversial new Obamacare mandate from going into effect. Reid came under heavy for fire complaining that Republicans want to protect religious rights.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor following Reid’s objection to the “Religious Freedom” amendment offered by Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and was incredulous.

Our country is unique in the world because it was established on the basis of an idea: that we are all endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights — in other words, rights that are conferred not by a king or a president or a Congress, but by the Creator himself. The state protects these rights, but it doesn’t grant them,” McConnell said.

Now Blunt, a pro-life Republican, is putting forward the Blunt Amendment, #1520, again, and it is termed the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. According to information provided to LifeNews from pro-life sources on Capitol Hill, the Blunt Amendment will be the first amendment voted on when the Senate returns to the transportation bill, which could be as early as this afternoon...